Karaoke Forums

Singer Introductions:

Do the majority of KJ’s just call up singer by 1st name only?

Does anyone introduce the singer initially that night with a little bio type information which could be filled in on the request slip?

Now coming to the stage is DAN from Morristown N.J.
Dan’s been singing Karaoke for 6 years loves to sing all types of music.
Dan will be singing a song from his personal disc from TOBY KEITH called .....


Bad idea ? Corny ? To give bigger introductions to singers?
Will singers find it annoying ?

I would find the fanfare a little over the top for karaoke. I'm quite happy just being called up to sing by my first name.

If the karaoke show were in a place like Disneyland, where every night you have a new set of strangers, it might be a good idea. In that setting, people like to know a little bit more about the person singing in front of them. At the neighborhood bar, though, it seems like way overkill.

First name, typically I as a singer would consider that unnecessary talk from the kj. It might go over better in a tourist type town, where no one know anyone, but for a regular show I wouldn't care for it as a singer nor a kj.
If I get to know you as a regular, I may create a nickname for you, some have stuck, others not.

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I always use the 1st name only also ..I just THREW it out there to break things up.
I agree in a tourist type venue it would go over better.

I do it, though my bios tend to be fake. People get a kick out of it.

I will also give people nicknames, out of the blue. I call one older fellow "The Kentucky Racer", after he broke his ankle running on ice. One girl is the "Lawrenceburg Nightingale", another is Angielicious. My cohort will periodically, especially when strangers are in the room, say "direct from Nashville, here's Mickey!" Or whoever is singing.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

That's a good idea..sort of where I was coming from to try and break things up a little bit. I guess you have to be careful and know who you can and who you can't have fun with .

First names only, maybe a last initial or something funny if we have more than one of the same name (I have 4 regulars at my Thursday show all named Kenny). Most of my singers wouldn't want any of that other information blurted out. In fact with some they don't even want me to call them by name. Sometimes my singers will make up nicknames for themselves or their friends do it, and I'll happily announce those names (as long as they're not too profane).

Now what I do toss in sometimes is a quick blurb about the song they're going to sing. I might mention the artist or lay out a segway into what they're singing. Depending on the atmosphere, sometimes I'll even go over the top and dial-up a major cathedral reverb and do the boxing ring style name call but still minus all the stats and bio stuff.

On a related topic, what kind of response do you guys get when you call a person up. How often do you get applause for them when they're on the way up? I've found getting people to cheer at that point is more challenging than getting a reaction after the person's finished singing.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

We don't get applause for a singer as they are being called up but people will call out things like chanting the singer's name over and over as they come up. Or people will say, "This guy again?" or other jokes if it is a friend . Two have a friendly rivalry where one always complains the other gets 4 minute songs while his are only two so there are sometimes comments like that.

Everyone is smart to counsel restraint. In our small town area it is sort of assumed that everyone can take a bit of a joke. In more uptight areas, it might not go over so well.

I am never disparaging. Sometimes I guess I get close by lathering on fake plaudits when the fellow in question has, ahem, difficulty adequately transporting a melody.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Never did care for the pre-sing applause. Not to be rude but to clap for someone before and after is over done and not neccesary. It really annoys us. Once in awhile ok, like for a virgin. One KJ does it all the time and it aggrevates us to the point of not being one of his regs. His venues don't help him out either though.

I'll always make a bit of a fuss over a virgin. In all my venues the regulars take it as a cue to be extra supportive and extra appreciative.

Normally it's first name plus an initial if needed, plus a few seconds of shameless flattery as they walk up

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Dave's not here.

We do too!

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I might call a singer the older/younger sister/brother of the singer whose song they just sang: "Everybody, that was Duffy Orbison, Roy's older brother" or something like that. Not often and not for everyone, and not for the same person every time. I will also mention if a singer is in for the first time, "Everybody please welcome with me Tony, who is with us for the first time tonight. I told him we would be VERY gentle the first time so I want all of you to behave." Mostly comic relief, no last names unless I have 2-3 of the same name, then I will nickname them so there's no confusion. This will be very venue dependent, I'd say - mine is a Cheers sort of place, "where everybody knows your name" kinda place.

If they have a last initial, I'll adlib something humorous about it. "Let's welcome another first time singer tonight, Johnny T. The 'T', of course is for 'Terrific'!"


Always! "Sally is now going to perform the impossible feat of being both Hall and Oates with an 80's flashback, 'Maneater'!"


To each his own, Joe. As a singer, I enjoy a host who hypes new singers (including me!) before they get on stage as well as encourages applause when we're done. I believe applauding before and after is just good karaoke etiquette. As a host, because I use fill music, it's not dead silence if no one applauds, but it lends a bit of excitement to keep the crowd pumped before and after singers.

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[font=Lucida Console]"Sing for the day, sing for the moment, sing for the time of your life!"[/font]

Seeing as i am in a tourist transient town, my imtroductions are based on my song slips;

NAME OF SINGER------
SONG TITLE--------
SONG NUMBER-------- KEY CHANGE----
OCCUPATION------
FROM CITY/STATE/COUNTRY----

So typically my intro would go;

"Ladies and gentlemen our next singer is a teacher from fairbanks alaska, please welcome up Margaret Smith. "

To be PLAYFUL i sometimes say: (for regulars or for their 2nd or so song)

"Our next singer is a Grammy nominated MTV and VH1 female artist of the year, from seattle washington, please welcome up Michelle Covington."

"Or once again we welcome up CMT's artist of the year, Michelle Covington."

AND LIKE Karen K does, i will add the artists last name and make reference to them as if they are related:

"That was Karen KEYS, Alicia's younger adopted sister!" -insert laughs-

For a neighborhood bar full of regulars i guess that might get old fairly quickly, but for me it keeps my wit intact and the mood a little bit lighter and funnier.

I would never try to make someone feel uncomfortable approaching the stage, but smile and make contact and let them know i am friendly and am playing around with the hyped intros. I believe ALL my singers appreciate the comedic introductions, but for a first-time singer i usually give my standard introduction.

Certainly when it gets busy, the introductions get reduced to their name and the state they are from, so as to not get Steve #1 mixed up with Steve #2 if they hadn't added last names or initials, they usually add the state they're from.

HALF of the time i get the following as occupations: and intoduce as "professional"
STRIPPER
PIMP DADDY
SINGER/ENTERTAINER
PLAYER/ GIGOLO
OLD FART
ALCOHOLIC

...AND the other half actually put their real jobs. For ME it keeps things interesting and my crowds seem to like it.

I Have to admit I giggled at first when I read the intro. Not because it was a bad question or a bad idea, but because the venue I work in would think I'm nuts.

It sounds the way JR does it is ingenious for his type of venue.

Most of my regulars have a karaoke name. It is rare for someone not to. I'll play around with the names from time to time. I tend to sing people's names, who knows why. So singers have songs associated with their names and patrons will sing it as the singer comes to the stage.

It's howdie Judy time
It's howdie Judy time

I have one singers whose name is Hanky Panky. I yell out " I say Hanky, you say Panky. Then of course I yell Hanky and they respond Panky.

This one always cracks me up. When I call up this singer I yell out, "Hey Kevin" and the whole bar responds "You Suck"! Don't worry it's all in fun and he loves it. It comes from a long running joke with him. He even has a t shirt that say I'm Kevin and I suck. He really doesn't.

My style isn't so refined. It's more everyone knows everyone - so let's be silly.

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That's interesting to know. I have always ASSUMED that ALL people accept that applauding (before and/or after) is an expected reaction to a performer. I guess that's only the case if the performer is a "True Artist".

And while I have found the applause to be awkward at times, I rarely begrudge doing it. However, I was at the circus the other night and it seemed like every two seconds we were being urged to applaud for "this or that". And that is annoying with popcorn and drinks and lighted gadgets in your hands, but I accepted the need for the Ringmaster to engage us and I tried my best to oblige him.

What is needed is one of those LIGHTES "APPLAUSE" signs that the KJ can flicker on and off as needed

Yeah --NICKNAMES are a big thing around here also --- sometimes I feel a little corny calling people up by what they or THEIR friend has put on the slip . But we do !!!

Applauding before a karaoke singer is overkill, I think, and it isn't done around here. It seems awkward when I run into it other places.

After all, you can think "clap because they were good or clap because they are done". But it's hard to clap for some people thinking "and here's 5 minutes of the worst singer anyone is likely to hear this week".

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.